


The Heart of Home

by glaivenoct



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-18 13:01:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21611287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glaivenoct/pseuds/glaivenoct
Summary: For the first time in years, Nyx is headed home for an early holiday getaway, and Noctis is more than thrilled to have the honor of joining him.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27
Collections: NyxNoctWeek





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For day one the Nyxnoct Fall-Winter event ^.^

There’s something to be said about the rippling topaz waters of Galahd. Something that escapes Noctis the entire ferry ride there. 

He’s listened diligently to Nyx’s stories, his homesick moments of reminisce. “Galahd’s special,” he would say. Never caring whether anyone else wrote him off as biased, or the stereotypical Galahdian; perpetually proud of their roots and homeland. There were those in Insomnia who might ridicule him for it. Those who scoffed or rolled their eyes or dismissed him without a thought.

Such a thing makes the heart yearn harder for a taste of home.

So Noctis thought it would make a wonderful present. An early one, albeit, but the winter holidays were just around the corner. In the city, the skies were already falling prey to the moon at an earlier hour. The air whisked and blew with an impending bite of winter chill; and the array of fall reds, oranges and yellows were soon to fade from the walkways of parks and plazas. But Noctis craves an early holiday getaway. A change of scenery where he can watch fall ebb away into winter. 

Galahd made the most sense.

In Galahd, Noctis can see the relics of stories Nyx has told him late at night when they’ve snuggled on the couch. In Galahd, Nyx can guide him to the nostalgic landmarks that hold some of his greatest memories and tales of mischief. In Galahd, he can absorb more about the land Nyx is so proud to call his home. Most of all, Nyx will be shamelessly happy to be home for the first time in years.

By the way he scooped Noct right into his arms and spun him around until they tumbled onto the bed together - Nyx was _ecstatic_. Noct can’t ask for a greater gift than that.

He thinks he understands it now. Somewhat. Galahd’s waters are… different. Like staring into a sea of crystal gems, sharp and mesmerizing beneath the gleam of the sun. It’s different from the waters of the Luciana Sound. The Cygillian Ocean. Maybe even Altissia. It’s special, as Nyx would probably say. Noctis sees the sentiment on his face when he glances at him. He leans against the railing of the ferry, chin resting in his hand as he gazes out at the horizon. A soft, anticipating smile turning at the corner of his lips. It wouldn’t be much longer now before they reached the docks.

Noctis leans against Nyx. Just enough to rest his head on his shoulder.

“Excited?”

“To go home with my home away from home?” Nyx proceeds to rest his head against Noct’s. “You bet, little king.” 

_Home away from home_ \- Noct’s grateful Nyx doesn’t end up seeing the adoring flush spreading across his cheeks. He tucks his face into the crook of Nyx’s neck. Wraps arms around his waist to hug tight and nuzzle closer as they watch the waters. 

They arrive before sunset, to one of the docks of an open market, where the vendors of widespread stalls greet and advertise to the incoming crowd. From sizzling meats to baked goods, spices and fresh fish. To souvenirs and quilts, bags and backpacks to store them away in, jackets to fend of the buffering cold. Noct gazes at it all in fascination, clinging to Nyx’s arm a little tighter in a silent question; whether or not they can come by another day to browse the stalls. He watches Nyx smile before he gets a squeeze of approval, though there's secrecy to the curve of his lips that tells Noct it’ll only be the beginning of a grand To-Do List. 

“Market really downsized since the last time I was here…” Nyx stops at the last wooden plank of the dock before crossing over to the pavement. He takes a moment to soak in the nostalgic sight before him while he adjusts the bags on his shoulders.

“Downsized?!” Noctis gapes at Nyx’s nonchalance. “You mean there used to be more?”

“Galahdians like their markets, little king, and this isn’t the only one. Don’t worry, I’ll take you to all of them. Make sure we get a cool souvenir for your dad.”

“And the guys? Luna? Clarus and Cor?”

“I’ll bring a piece of Galahd back to as many people as you want, Noct. We’ll get Ma’s input too. She’s great at souvenir shopping.”

“Is she meeting us here?”

“That’s what she said, but…” Nyx pulls his phone out of his pocket to check for missed calls. Looks up and eagerly scans the market crowds.

It’s not like Nyx wouldn’t know the way home if there were a sudden change in plans, but Noct knows this is what Nyx is looking forward to the most. For as much as he’s missed home, he’s missed the heart of it a hundred times more. The woman who shaped him into the man he is today, guiding him with her wisdom and protecting him with her strength. There were nights Nyx confided in Noct about his guilt. The guilt he felt for leaving and paving a new life for himself in light of his sister’s passing. The life of a soldier, at that. To the front lines of the war that took her in the first place. Far from where his mother could be reassured he was _safe_.

By Noct’s understanding, Nyx’s mother never resented him for it, but there was a deep part of Nyx that believed she should.

It was another reason why Noctis wanted this trip for Nyx. It’s more than the weekly phone calls between mother and son. The care packages exchanged with each other now and then with small letters and postcards. Never does Nyx slack on keeping in touch with his mother, _but still_. Nothing beats the tangible, warm embrace of parent, and Nyx has gone long enough without it.

“I’m sure she’s around here somewhere.” Noctis gives Nyx’s arm an encouraging nudge, though it’s not enough to fully pacify the fidgeting impatience in him. And Nyx normally doesn’t fidget.

On cue, Noctis hears a woman shouting in Galahdian. Something that has Nyx snapping to attention faster than any order Drautos has ever given him, head whipping left and right in frantic search for the source. Noctis hears it again - _Aqui, Nyx, aqui!_

_Here, Nyx, here!_

There, beyond the welcoming chaos of the market, where Noctis spots the beginning of a village draped in brush and foliage; backed by an expanse of mountains dense with forest. Nyx’s mother stands, wrapped in a thick, knit grey cardigan, grinning ear to ear as she waves them over.

Nyx is there without hesitance, clutching Noct’s hand even tighter as he pulls him along for the hurried stride across the market. But Noctis knows the right moment to let go and stay a few steps behind. So Nyx can shoulder away the bags on his back. So he can throw himself right into his mother’s open ones. Noctis stops beside the discarded luggage to watch the reunion unfold before him with a fondness he’s unsure he’s felt before.

Nyx’s mother is so jarred by the scooping force of her son’s hug that her braided hair slips out of its loosely formed bun. They laugh like they’re on the verge of tears, and Nyx - who is far too tall for his mother’s own good - hides the brunt of it into the curve of her neck. Mrs. Ulric, on the tips of her toes and with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, cages one arm around Nyx’s back. The other hikes higher to rest at the back of Nyx’s head, petting his hair as she mutters something in galahdian that makes Nyx shudder in laughter.

“Let me look at you,” she says softly as she breaks their embrace. She pulls back enough to get the perfect view of him, the hand that was at the back of his head coming down to cup his cheek. Her eyes light up with the love and pride of a mother. Tears of awe well in the corner like she has yet to fully grasp the moment. The undeniable truth that her son is here before her _safe and sound_ , free to hug and kiss like she’s making up for all the times she couldn’t.

“You look good,” she concludes after her adoring analysis, nodding and caressing Nyx’s cheek until she’s pinching it. “You get that from me.”

“Pretty sure Apá would beg to differ on that.” Nyx chuckles, pulling away his mother’s hand so he can leave a kiss on each of her cheeks. “You weren’t waiting long, were you?”

“I’ve waited plenty for you to come home, Nyx.” She teases him with an expectant look and the impatient cross of her arms. “A few extra minutes were nothing to me.”

Though Noct can’t see the entirety of Nyx’s face, he can definitely see the blush creeping up to the tips of his ears as he apologizes to his mother in galahdian and pulls her into another hug. Noctis smiles. He ends up hugging himself, not sure if he should jump in to introduce himself or if he should give them more time to have their moment.

Noctis asked Nyx if it was okay for him to come. Part of him feared that maybe he would be imposing given this is the first time Nyx would be home in years. What if Nyx wanted to go home _alone_ ? Spend time with his mother _alone_. Sure, they were at the stage of their relationship where they practically lived together. Where Noctis’ father invited him regularly to dinners and private gatherings on special occasions. Not to mention Noct was madly in love with the man.

And Nyx was madly in love with him back. Enough to be outraged that Noct thought he would be imposing.

_“I want to show you everything, little king. It’s about time you meet Ma too, don’t you think?”_

Those words set loose the fluttering butterflies of joy in Noct’s belly. Things like that and names such as _Home Away From Home_ make him laugh in the face of his irrational fears. They ground him back in the intensity of their love. And though Noctis doesn’t believe he can love Nyx any more without bursting into smithereens, he believes this could bring them closer.

If he’s honest, it’s not just a change of scenery. Nor just the desire to cherish Nyx’s happiness. Noctis thinks it's time to meet Nyx’s mother too. To get to know her and prove his worth as the champion of her son’s heart.

Now if only he had the courage to step up and make a good first impression.

“I was saving up, Ma, I swear.” Nyx says, pulling away from their hug. “But Noct surprised me.”

Noct’s heart skips a beat at the mention of his name. At Nyx’s slow turn to face him with a smile and the extending of a hand. He gives him an encouraging nod, eyes saying everything his lips don’t need to. _Don’t be nervous, little king_.

One inhale and exhale and, surprisingly, he’s not. He relaxes his shoulders and straightens his spine. He takes Nyx’s hand with confidence and refuses to let it waver as he’s guided a couple steps forward. Until he’s face to face with Nyx’s mother and trying to remember how to smile.

“Ma, this is Noctis. Noct, this is Ma. You two kind of already know each other.”

“An honor at last,” Mrs. Ulric says. She takes Noctis’ free hand between her own. Her hands are warm like Nyx’s. “I’m glad you’re here, Noctis. Nyx has told me so much about you.”

It doesn’t quite register with Noctis at first. He’s so used to the word honor being used in turn with his title. _It’s an honor, Your Highness. It’s an honor, Prince Noctis._

_It’s an honor, Noctis_. It holds a different weight to it. More personal and endearing when paired with Mrs. Ulrics kind features, and the curious admiration in her voice as she looks him straight in the eye. Pointedly, almost, like Nyx when he means to tell him something without really saying it. It helps Noct remember how to smile again.

“Likewise.” Noctis reinforces the clasp of their hands. He feels Nyx squeezing his other and glances at him. “The honor’s all mine, though.”

“Oh, nonsense!” She scoffs. “ I can’t remember the last time Nyx brought someone home to meet little old me. Come, dear.” She slings an arm around his shoulder and leads him towards the old paved cobblestone path running through the heart of the village. “You must tell me about yourself, and all the trouble Nyx has caused while I haven’t been around to scold him.”

“Ma!” Nyx calls at her. Noctis can hear him quickly gathering the luggage he discarded earlier.

“You grew out of many things, Nyx, but never being a troublemaker!” She calls back over her shoulder. “Hurry along now. We don’t want the food to get cold.”

“Food?” Noctis asks in delighted curiosity. 

“Nothing short of a feast.” Mrs. Ulric smirks and Noct sees yet another thing Nyx must have inherited from her. “I had to make sure to get all of Nyx’s favorites, and lots of diversity for that Lucian palette of yours.”

“The key to my heart. How did you know?”

“Never underestimate the instincts of an old galahdian woman in her kitchen, dear.”

“So I’ve been told,” Noctis chuckles. “Can’t wait.”

Finally, Nyx comes around to the other side of him. He’s got the rest of the luggage back on his shoulders and the most content smile Noct’s seen grace his face yet. He takes in a deep inhale of the cool air, reaching once more to take Noctis’ hand as they all stroll towards Nyx’s childhood home.

“Feels good to be home.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I thought you had given up, you know.” His mother speaks up from her spot beside him, hands tucked deep into the pockets of her grey winter coat.
> 
> “Given up on what?” Nyx mimics tucking his hands into his own chestnut coat. His hands are starting to freeze up a bit too.
> 
> “Love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belated day two of the Fall/Winter challenge ^^;

Nyx had missed these morning walks with his mother.

The routine started after his father had passed away. At first they would walk in silence, but over time they would talk and confide in each other. They helped each other endure the severity of grief until time gradually turned the open wound of loss into a mere scar. They stuck to it since then, irregular as it could be sometimes, but consistent enough before Nyx left for Insomnia. It kept them close most days. Others, it kept Nyx sane, because some days Nyx just needed to  _ talk _ . Whether it be about the more serious subjects or the most mundane details of his day.

There was never a set destination for their walks. They could end up at the beach, or in the forests heading towards the waterfalls and rivers of the mountains. It could be a few laps around their village or down by the boardwalk and the markets. 

Today they stroll leisurely through the village where frost nips at the edges of glass of windows. It encourages the leaves of trees to wilt away and shroud the streets in green. Creates of layer of fog far in the distance by the mountains and the forest. Most out at this hour tend to their plants and gardens, either preparing the kinds that thrive in Galahd’s winters, or covering others with tarps for protection. It’s as quiet in the mornings as Nyx remembers. Yet to be filled with a flux of playing children, the chatter of the nearby market or the hunters tinkering away and crafting their weapons.

Gods, did he miss all of that too.

“I thought you had given up, you know.” His mother speaks up from her spot beside him, hands tucked deep into the pockets of her grey winter coat.

“Given up on what?” Nyx mimics tucking his hands into his own chestnut coat. His hands are starting to freeze up a bit too.

“Love.”

Nyx flinches in surprise at the answer. He whips his head to his mother, but swiftly averts his eyes from her smug smile. “ _ Ma _ .”

“Oh, don’t ‘Ma’ me, Nyx.” She chuckles. “You’re in love, are you not?”

He’s sure that went without saying. That maybe his mother just wants to hear it from his mouth. He thinks he admitted it to her once, a long time ago, but that was a different love. Nothing like the one he harbors for Noctis, who is currently still asleep at the house. Hell, he’s probably tucked away into a thick, self-made blanket nest.

Nyx can easily picture himself whispering silly declarations of love to coax Noct into consciousness. He can picture the spark of a sleepy smile and groggy giggles given Noct wouldn’t be too cranky with him. Or kissing and snuggling his way back into Noct’s good graces if he was. 

Though Nyx  _ felt it  _ more than either of them ever actually  _ said it _ , the thought of telling Noctis he loved him came as natural as breathing to him. Saying it to others - even his mother - felt odd. Not that he didn’t want her to know. He wouldn’t have brought Noctis with him otherwise. And that’s just it. Bringing Noct home is as big of a “Ma, I’m in love,” statement as he could make. So he thought, anyway...

“Don’t answer that,” his mother says it like she had just listened in on his train of thought. “I can tell.”

“You like him?” Nyx asks, a knowing smile upon his lips. Fine, maybe he just wants to hear his mother say it too.

“I love him. He’s a sweetheart and he loves my food.”

“Need to ease up on some of the spices for him, Ma.”

“He’ll learn.”

They both laugh.

“You mean it, though?” That she loves Noct. Nyx looks at her with all the hope of shelter puppy on adoption day.

“When have I ever lied to you about your romantic excursions, Nyx?”

Never. His mother is an honest woman who hates beating around the bush, especially when it comes to the matter of her son’s heart. He’s only been home a few days now, though. To his joy, he’s watched Noctis grow more comfortable around his mother by the day. He’s noticed the bloom of a bond and an endearing dynamic his mother doesn’t care to bestow upon just anyone. She’s an intuitive woman, after all. Nyx has already caught her observing Noctis at the most inconspicuous moments. Reading him. Better understanding him through even the smallest habits.

Reading  _ them _ , now that he thinks about it. Coming to conclusions about them through  _ their habits  _ towards each other.

Is it too good to be true, though? To believe that his mother could come to approve of someone so quickly?

“There was a time you gave up on love,” his mother repeats, more sound in the deduction. They head for the rickety bridge of a small pond. She stops at the creaking center of it and wanders closer to wooden railing where she can rest her arms. She watches the subtle dance of the wild grass and pink snapdragons encompassing the pond. Nyx decides to join her. “I know there was, and it was okay. You were lost. It must’ve last thing on your mind. Certainly wasn’t what you needed to be happy.”

Nyx rests his forearms beside hers and folds his hands together. Beneath him, the still, silver water reflects something odd back to him. A version of himself a few years younger than he is now: Face a little less scruffy. Hair a little shorter. Heart a lot less wiser, despite his feigning smirk of confidence. Studying that reflection, Nyx’s knows his younger heart is hanging on by duct tape and safety pins, desperate to hibernate for a year. Maybe several. 

But then the bright pink petal of a snapdragon distorts his view as it lands at the center of his young face. The water ripples and distorts it. Only then does Nyx force himself to blink a couple times. He’s seeing things. He does that when he thinks too much.

“I think...” his mother distracts him from the illusion by snaking an arm across his shoulder, nudging him as close to her side as he possibly could, “by the time you rediscovered yourself, you didn’t care to put your heart back out there. Which is also fine.” She nudges him closer and lowers her voice down to a hushed whisper, reminding him of the days she would kick up the theatrics for Selena’s bedtime stories. “But one day, when you least expected it, you didn’t find your Prince. Your prince found you. And he took you  _ by storm _ , didn’t he?”

She grins at him in wait of a response, but Nyx can’t muster a proper one outside of his lips parting in astonishment. It’s far from the first time his mother’s peered into his heart and soul so accurately. There’s intuition and then there’s supernatural, and yet again is she blurring the line between the two.

“Ma…” Let it be known Nyx is not one to blush, but on the rare occasion he is, there are only two potential culprits: his Ma and Noct. Nyx scrubs a hand over his face and through his hair to hide it. “How do you do that?”

She laughs motherly wicked and pats his shoulder. “I know you, Nyx. Just like I know there’s something special about your Noctis, and that you are as special to him as he is to you.” She cups his cheek and caresses his stubble. “I couldn’t be any happier for you, my dear.”

Nyx’s eyes fall back to the pond below. The waters are still and the pink petal floats leisurely in place. Beneath, his reflection is no longer a mirror of the past. Instead, it’s smiling back at him.

“Happy to have your approval, Ma.”

That happiness follows Nyx for the rest of the day. It surges through him in the briefest moments; when they return from their walk to find Noctis fixing them both a fresh cup of coffee. Nyx has to stop him before he apologizes for going into the cabinets to fish out the coffee beans.

It hits him again when he and his mother spirit Noct off to the farmer’s market to gather ingredients for another grand dinner. Though, Nyx reminds his mother to go easy on Noct’s palette when she coincidentally - if not teasingly - introduces him to the chilli stand.

How can he  _ not  _ feel it later on when he’s in the kitchen? Working in seamless unison with his mother. A classic, hearty Galahdian soup is on the menu today with a side of homemade garlic bread. And while Noct attentively listens to his mother’s endless recounts of Nyx’s early kitchen mishaps. (“ _ I was still learning _ ,” Nyx had to clarify at least three times while he chopped up the meat) As his mother exposes him for the kitchen klutz he once was, he catches every one of Noct’s adoring gazes.

The feeling grows it’s strongest after dinner. They all settle on the couch for a classic feel-good movie Nyx used to watch with his sister all the time. As he expects, by the time the credits roll, Noct’s fallen asleep slouched against him. Wrapped snugly in one of his mother’s knit blankets. Nyx can’t contain his fond smile.

“He does that a lot, doesn’t he?” His mother asks, sounding as fond as he is. 

“All the time.” Though not in front of just anyone. Only in front of people he’s comfortable with. “Noct.” Nyx gently shakes him.

Noct makes a questioning noise. He attempts to open his eyes several times to no avail. Another noise. He lets them stay shut for a moment, and Nyx debates whether or not he’ll have to carry him off to bed. But then, Noctis jolts awake. Eyes wide, sitting straight like he only just remembered where he is.

“Sorry! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean -” 

Didn’t mean to be rude, Nyx imagines he means to say, but he squeezes his prince’s arm to assure him it’s not rude at all. His mother doesn’t see it that way either.

“Nonsense, Noctis.” She assures him as well. “It’s late and we do have an eventful day ahead of us tomorrow. We should all get some rest.”

“C’mon, sleepy.” Nyx urges Noct to stand with him and makes sure he stays comfortably wrapped in his blanket. “Off to bed with you.”

“Sleep well, my dears.”

But Nyx does not sleep. He tosses and turns and ends up staring at the stars outside his window each time.

He can’t sleep. He doesn’t  _ want  _ to sleep. He feels like he’s twelve years old all over again, plotting to sneak through the bedroom window and go for his own little night walk. He did that whenever he was too restless. Occasionally he’d wake Selena too, or go down the street and goad Libertus into joining him. Those made for some of the best nights. Nights where Nyx was at his happiest.

He feels like he’s at his happiest all over again, even as he turns onto his back and stares at the ceiling and listens to the chirp of crickets. He hears the peaceful breathing of Noctis beside him too, and has to refrain from turning over and squishing his prince to his chest.

He’s home - the very foundation of his heart - with his second home. The keeper of his heart. Nyx chews his lip and turns back to face the window.

How did he get this lucky?

“Nyx?” Noctis shifts beside him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and clearing the grogginess out of his voice.

“Come with me, little king.” Nyx decides it on a whim. He sits up and starts searching the tangled sheets for his shirt/

“What?” Noct pushes himself up a bit, clutching that same knit blanket to his chest. “Where?”

“The beach.”

“What time is it?”

“Perfect time to look at the stars, don’t you think?”

“Nyx…”

“I’ll carry you there if you want me to.”

Noctis mulls the thought over for a minute. Mumbles and grumps under his breath for a moment before he forces himself to sit up. Nyx grins in victory and nearly hops out of bed.

Like a pair of infatuated and troublesome teens, they slip quietly through the window, barefoot and in their pjs. Noctis doesn’t take Nyx up on the carrying offer, but is sure the keep the blanket around his shoulders to fight the cold. No matter how many times Nyx promises to keep him warm.

It’s been years since Nyx has visited the beaches of his home beneath the sparkling indigo of the night sky. The sands, mystically pink as Nyx often described to Noctis, sparkle right back at it as a purplish luminescent tide washes over the shore. Nyx stops in his tracks, taking a moment to soak it all in. The beauty and the wonder. The chirp of the night gulls echoing across the calm dance of the waves. The soft woosh of the wind and the scent of salt and sea in the air. The seclusion despite the area being so very vast and open.

“Whoa…” he hears Noctis behind him. He comes to Nyx’s side while wrapping his blanket tighter around his shoulders.

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

“Better than how I imagined it.”

“Worth me making you get out of bed?” Nyx smirks at him and offers a hand for him to take.

Noctis squints at him, reluctantly taking it. “Maybe.”

“I came out here a lot as a kid.” Nyx leads Noctis with him further down the shore. Each subtle sink of his feet into the sand keeps him smiling. “I liked wandering a lot of different places at night. This was perfect one where I could sit and think.”

“You’ve been thinking a lot today, haven’t you Hero?”

_ Is everything okay?  _ That’s the intended question.  __ Nyx can hear it like the distorted echo of pressing a shell to his ear to hear the ocean. 

“That obvious, huh?” Nyx casts his smile out at the ocean.

“To me? Always. Not sure if you’ve figured it out yet, but I know you pretty well.”

Nyx chuckles and tugs Noct to his chest, trapping him in a hug that muffles a surprised grunt. But in seconds, his prince relaxes against him, tucking his head beneath his chin. They take a moment to stand in the tranquility of whispering winds and the wane of the tide. Nyx holds onto him with all the might of a warrior, swaying them ever slightly from side to side.

Nyx gave up on love a few months after moving to Insomnia. He remembers his heart being too heavy. Too lost, as his mother had said. Too full of grief and afraid. He remembers taking his time to drag himself out from the darkest depths of it, and taking the steps to allow himself to heal. It’s the hardest journey he’s ever known. As much of a battle as when Nyx is deployed out on the front lines. And given enough time, Nyx found his way.  _ That’s the most important part _ , he reminds himself whenever his old wounds split back open.

But even as Nyx’s heart began to rise from the ashes, it was still afraid. It couldn’t handle another round of greuling weight crushing it. It feared the woeful fires of heartache searing it back down to char and dust. 

Nyx knew what he wanted out of love for a long time, but after all he’d overcome, how could he allow anyone to get so close? Close enough to see all those nasty wounds. The morbid pit of despair that was still capable of pulling him back in some days.

He couldn’t. He wasn’t ready for it, just like his mother said. So he let himself become detached from the concept of love. He had love from his mother. His friends. His comrades. Some of them already knew exactly where Nyx was coming from and that was enough. He didn’t need anything more or any one new. Not to say he never allowed himself to have fun or scratch a few lustful itches.

But he never allowed anyone to get too close.

Now here he is, with the prince who took his heart  _ by storm _ . The prince who learned the beauty of vulnerability with him. Exchanging their rawest ghosts of emotions past. Pulling each other out of the dark. Forming the most sacred of havens - the exact thing Nyx called his second home. 

Nyx can’t remember a time anyone held his heart in their hands like this. So graceful and secure. He can’t remember a time he was so eager to return home on a high because of it. Or being so eager to truly show his mother that, yeah, he’s okay. He’s okay and happier than he’s ever been. All he remembers is the time he thought that day would never come, and he couldn’t be more relieved that he was wrong.

Noct knows him in a way no one else ever can. Noct understands him in a way no one else ever can. Noct loves him in a way he knows no one else ever can. He’s the heart of his home, and Nyx will never give it up for a damn thing.

“Nyx. How long are we going to stand here? I’m cold.”

“You have a blanket!” Nyx laughs. “What, your portable Hero Heater isn’t working for you anymore?”

“ _ My feet  _ are cold,” Noctis clarifies, pulling away from Nyx’s chest to pout at him.

“Then how about we warm them up with a dance?”

“A dance?” Noctis raises a brow at him.

“One dance, little king.” Nyx gives him his most charming smile. He takes one of Noct’s hands, extending their arms out as if they were about to slow dance. He lets the other hand rest on Noct’s hip.

“There’s no music out here…” Noct stares down at the sand, letting his hair hide most of his embarrassment at the idea.

“You think that’s going to stop me?” Nyx uses a finger to lift Noct’s chin. The twinkle of the stars reflected in Noct’s eyes make his breath catch in his chest, and the pale glow of the moon sheds light across a dazzled stare.

It’s a ridiculous idea. Nyx knows that. If Noctis knows Nyx, then Noctis knows that Nyx likes being a little ridiculous sometimes. And Nyx knows Noctis like being ridiculous with him.

“One dance.” Noctis smiles and clasps their hands back together. “You big, dumb hero.”


End file.
